Bittersweet
by Shinning-Darkness
Summary: After an almost fatal incident with Opal Koboi, Artemis is left to contemplate the more bittersweet factors of life.


**I don't even know what I was thinking when I wrote this. I don't even know when I wrote this (sometime early last year? I only found it this morning). Aw well, enjoy. And yes, Artemis is out of character.**

**Bittersweet**

**Holly**

She knew Artemis wasn't the same, ever since the Opal Incident. She didn't blame him though, he almost died.

"_Artemis is hurt; badly," at that moment, Holly felt her heart stop. Foaly was also shocked. It seemed like tine itself was shocked, the untouchable had been captured. _

"_And now, he might not survive," again, the silence dragged on."What's wrong with him?" Holly eventually asked."We're still not sure, but someone attacked him, and took his out his eye," the silence was longer this time. Holly didn't ask permission, she was already planning the quickest route to the surface._

She closed her eyes, remembering the fear that held her. She always thought Artemis would live forever, it was her own fault for remembering Artemis was only human, he has to die one day.

_She was shocked when she first saw him, after waiting hours with his family for Artemis to be released from surgery. When she did see him, she wanted to run. Artemis was by no means pure, but he looked dead with his paler than normal skin, shadowed eyes and red smeared face. A bandage had covered most of his face._

"_Artemis?" She asked hesitantly, she wasn't sure if he were awake, or only moving in his sleep._

"_Holly," He said, in a different, less confident voice."I'll be back in a moment, I'll get your family," She didn't want to be near this…. Impostor. Artemis did not lack confidence. Artemis was strong and arrogant."Stay, I want to tell you something," Holly wondered if it would be about his attacker. When she knew the person, she swore she would catch them."Who attacked you Artemis?" She asked, putting her hand on his."Koboi," was all he said._

"D'arvit." She swore, then smashed the glass of her bathroom mirror. The glass as the Humans said, the impact was shattering.

_Artemis was staring into space, when Holly found him. She wanted to say something, she tried raking through her mind for anything, but she could find nothing._

_"Artemis." She eventually said, which sounded like a question when she replayed it in her mind._

_"I'm fine, Holly," he whispered, as though talking burnt his throat. "perfectly fine…" He mumbled, seemingly more towards wasn't sure what to do, should she comfort him, or leave him to sort it out on his own?_

_The latter won._

**Artemis**

He ran a hand through his raven hair, accompanied by a hopeless sigh. A month later, and he still felt like he was falling. He supposed this is what being a genius is; loneliness, anger, frustration.

_She stepped out from the bushes, a devious smile on her surprisingly childish face. In her hand, she held a knife that glistened in the artificial lights._

He wondered if that was the moment he should have contacted Holly through his fairy communicator. That's what it was there for, he knew.

_He didn't think of calling Butler, or Holly. He just stepped out of the car, mesmerised. He knew she would probably kill him, or badly wound him, but he found he didn't care. He was hypnotised by the fallen pixie, with her eyes lacking their once burning fire, and her skin lacking its natural glow. Now, she looked as artificial as the light._

If he did, he may have found everything ended differently, with her behind bars and himself safe. But then, he wouldn't have felt what now drove him, he would simply be Artemis Fowl, nothing more and nothing less.

_She smiled at him, a warm and welcoming smile. A smile he remembered from his childhood, when his mother would watch him. He smiled with her, understanding what she wanted._

"_Fowl." She said, with her childish voice, filled with hate laced sweetness. She smiled again._

"Koboi…" He said softly, the word escaping his lips like it was natural. He wasn't sure if he liked the fact or hated it.

_He made no sound. Just continued to watch the fragile pixie. She took a step forward, but he stayed still. She took another step, and then another, and then another, still, he didn't move. They looked at each other curiously, memorising the others details. She hadn't changed, apart from the shadows under her eyes, and her eyes, her wild, wild eyes._

He knew that was the key moment. His last chance to escape, so he would have avoided the entire situation. Yet still, he was trapped in her web.

_He didn't move, even as she held out her small hand, and touched his pale cheek. He closed his eyes briefly, then put his hand on hers, and laced their fingers. He softly stroked her finger, the way a lover would. But they were nothing on a kind. He was Artemis Fowl and she was Opal Koboi, enemies. Never more, never less._

"Such a small creature…" He mumbled, remembering the soft fingers grazing his face. Unknowingly, his own hand found the area hers had been. The skin now covered. He slipped his fingers under, feeling the faint line, he bitterly smiled.

"_Humans are such stupid creatures, don't you think? I believe we could do so much more together, Artemis." She said, with a hint of disappointment._

"_Yes" He agreed, "But humans will always win." He finished, his voice lacking personality and emotion. _

"_We could have taken over the world." He said, knowing what she was going to say. She sadly looked at him. _

"And where would that put us now?" He asked himself, finding comfort in the unknown. For once, he didn't want to plan, but to see where he wound up.

"_It's a real shame you were born a human. We could have done so much, if only you were a fairy." She said, her voice apathetic."And even more if you were human." He said, with his voice perfectly matching hers."Maybe in the next life." And with her knife, she stabbed him._

He put his hand on the wound, feeling a stray tear fall down his cheek. They could have been anything, she tried to fly, but she fell. He knew his doom would fall on him eventually, one day, he knew he would plan something wrong and that day, he'd lose his wings and fall.

_He howled with pain, clutching his eye. He could feel the blood flooding, and the world heading to darkness._

_She laughed, not at his pain but the bitterness of the world._

"_Maybe in the next life…" She leaned down and kissed him, softly and innocently._

_And then she left him._

He couldn't tell whether he felt happy or sad when he remembered. He didn't feel anything, when he remembered, except the feeling of falling when her lips lightly touched his.

"Artemis?" Holly asked from the doorway, unsure how to react to her friend."I'm fine, Holly," he said, "perfectly fine…" He mumbled to himself.

_It didn't take long for someone to find him, and even shorter for Butler to get there. When he awoke, he found himself surrounded by family and a bandage over his eye."The doctor said you might not be able to see out of that eye anymore Arty." His mother said, tears brimming her own eyes."But we have the best doctor in this world." His father had finished._

Now, he had his sight back, and the scar to match. They could have removed the scar, but he preferred to keep it. As a reminder.

"_Scars won't keep the girls away from you." Foaly said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Artemis didn't care though, he was too busy falling._

"It can only be so long…" He said, to no one in particular. Remembering. For all life had gotten her, Opal Koboi had been killed. The fairies called it luck, Artemis called it a mistake. "… before we all eventually fall." He finished, his voice little above a whisper.

**Love it? Hate it? Wonder why it exists? Reviews are greatly appreciated, but we don't always get what we want, do we?**


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